First It Giveth
by aTotallyUnoriginalUserName
Summary: Second chances don't happen that often, so cherish the times that they do. (On a short break, because my laptop exploded.)
1. New beginnings Old pains

Disclaimer: I in fact do not own Evangelion or any of its spin-offs

 **A/N: Remember to read, review, favorite, high five, send me a postcard, dance like nobody's watching, and never get involed in other people's relationship troubles.**

 **FIRST IT GIVETH**

 **Chapter 1: New beginnings. Old pains.**

Silence.

There was only silence for a few tense seconds until Shinji's half-conscious appeared out of the dark, semi transparent fog that covered everything.

He had a small moment to recover from the mental whiplash of Instrumentality and looked around.

' _So this is Third Impact…'_ He thought in silent acknowledgment. It was strange, he knew he shouldn't, but he enjoyed this. This solitude, this abstract serenity.

' _Nothing ever changes…'_ He continued his thoughts. _'I'm always alone'_. He looked up to find the face of Ayanami, no, his mother. She felt different in some way. His mother looked down at him though blue eyes.

"What is this…? Where am I…?" Shinji said, his words carrying no real power to them. Yui smiled warmly at him.

"This is your choice. What you decided would happen to mankind." Her voice was soft and soothing to his ears. Like a song you really like, but you rarely ever listen to.

He cleared his head of all thoughts, trying to enjoy what he had accomplished. And yet he couldn't.

He knew this was wrong. Making a decision like that was not right. He looked up with those deep blue eyes, those tortured blue orbs.

"This is not what I wanted." His voice was barely above a whisper. "This is wrong." He said in the same tone.

His mother leaned in close to his ear "Do you want to go back?" She said in a hoarse voice, like her vocal chords were being tempered with. Shinji quietly nodded in agreement. "Even though you'll be taken away from me?" She heard him swallow.

"…Yes…" She knew that was lie, but he felt that his choice wasn't the right one, that he could have saved everyone if he had another chance. She was his mother after all.

She pulled back, her body started to bend in weird angels and convulsing violently.

Shinji looked at her stunned. "Mom what's happening to you?!" He asked panicked, his voice though was still weak and his body unresponsive. Yui's words however were the last thing that was heard before Shinji's world blacked out.

"I'm giving you that second chance."

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

Shinji's conscience awoke once again to hear a familiar message coming from a telephone he was holding in his hand. _"Due to the state of emergency all lines have been cut, please evacuate to the nearest shelter as soon as possible"_

Oh, God. He could feel the pit inside his stomach grow and he nearly threw up right there. But he composed himself, he asked for this after all. He heard an explosion from the other side of the city and turned his head. Right the Angel.

He watched as the battleships hopelessly tried to bring the Angel down. They fired a barrage of missiles headed towards the green behemoth's direction. The warheads made contact with the Angel's A-T field and exploded spectacularly.

"That's it! All of them landed!" Said one of the pilots, but as if the Angel heard his taunting voice, it launched a spear of purple light headed towards his direction. The beam cut though the helicopter like a knife though hot butter, leaving it without any direction to go but down.

Shinji knew where this was going and quickly run in the opposite direction that the copter was falling. He saw the navy blue Renault Alpine and made a B-line for it knowing exactly who the owner was.

The car screeched to a halt and the co-driver's door was opened. "Over here!" Misato yelled from inside. Shinji's heart fluttered for a moment realizing that he will be able to see the lavender haired woman again, but that was quickly dropped considering that he was about to pilot again. He pushed that thought aside for the moment and focused all of his energy in running. He finally reached the car. He was red from exhaustion and panting heavily after the run. Closing the door as he got inside, he glanced at the face of Misato Katsuragi and had to refrain himself from taking her into an embrace.

"Sorry I'm la-" Misato started but was cut off by Shinji. "Just drive!" He yelled as the Angel caught up with the vehicle. Misato immediately put the car into gear and started driving away, slaloming around the giant's feet.

The Angel however was distracted by the continuous fire of the VTOL units. Several more battleships joined the fight, dropping an equal number of bombs on the Angel. The Angel seemed to still be unstoppable though as he tore though most of the JSSDF forces.

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

In the main control room of the NERV Head Quarters stood Gendo "The Bastard King" Ikari seated behind his overlooking office. His knowing stare aimed at the holographic image of the JSSDF completely failing to stop the Angel.

Fuyutsuki closed the distance between them and whispered at Gendo. "It seems that the military's efforts are going as well as expected Ikari." The man nodded in acknowledgment. "The question is; are you willing to go through with your plan?"

Ikari didn't even flinch at the question "If we're not willing to make sacrifices for the future then how do we to build a future that's worth living?"

He looked over at the generals who were barking orders at their forces. One man picked the phone up and started talking. "Sir, requesting permission to use the N2 mine." He put the phone back in its place and nodded to the others.

"Tell all units to pull back right now."

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

Misato was leaning over her window, looking though her binoculars and studying the battle carefully. Her trained eyes looming over the battlefield. Shinji on the other hand was quietly seated beneath her bosom.

"Wait, what are they doing?" She said as she observed the helicopters evacuate the vicinity of the Angel.

"Oh no, they are gonna launch an N2 mine!" She said panicked. Shinji's ears perked at that. This was not gonna be pleasant.

"GET DOWN!" Misato tried to cover Shinji underneath herself. Shinji braced himself for the coming shockwave.

Suddenly a blast that could turn night into day rocked the world, causing the blue car to flip over itself several times. The occupants of the vehicle were bounced around in the interior.

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

"That's it, we got it!" One of the generals said excitedly, drying the sweat off his brow. All the others sighed in relief. "Looks like you'll not be needed today after all Ikari." Another one said to the seated commander.

Unbeknownst to everyone in the room Gendo was wearing a confident smirk underneath his hands, which he held close to his face. Fuyutsuki approached his old student, with his hands firmly placed behind his back. "Fools…" Was the silent query of both of them.

"Sir, visual is due to return in T- 5 seconds." A bridge bunny said pushing some buttons on his keyboard. The generals leaned back in their chair looking at the static screen in front of them. "It has to be dead it took the full blast." One of them inquired. However he was proven wrong when the screen changed to the Angel looking as healthy as ever.

The bird mask which acted like a face looked more than a little bit battered. The skin behind the mask started pulsating strangely and, eventually, a new mask sprouted out; similar to the previous one, but with a shorter beak. There were no words spoken as everyone in the room took in what humanity had to go up against. Gendo looked around the bridge; his hands still unmoving from his face. The vice-commander mimicked him. Every one of the bridge bunnies looked shocked, especially that Maya Ibuki; the poor girl looked ready to pass out right then and there.

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

Shinji got out of the wrecked car and spit a mouthful of sand. He had forgotten how much that experience sucked. He was followed by Misato, who seemed a little bit too cheerful for someone who just got blasted by a Non-Nuclear blast.

Misato got her bearings and took off her sunglasses; that surprisingly survived the fallout. Misato started speaking in a light-hearted tone. "Sorry about that." She said with a laugh "I'm Misato Katsuragi, but you already know that don't you. From the postcard." Shinji snickered as the familiarity of the situation washed over him.

"Oh, yeah do I remember?" He said with a lick of the lips. Misato recoiled slightly; she definitely wasn't expecting this of the Third Child.

"By the way, have I said that you suck at driving…?" He said with a smile. Misato looked at him stunned and unable to say anything for a few seconds. Shinji's demeanor was however broken by a feminine hand grabbing him by the hair. "What did you say about my driving?" She said with an ominous tone of voice. He still couldn't understand how in the hell she could change personalities like that. "That you are perfect in every single way imaginable." He half squeaked as he struggled to break his hair free from her death grasp.

She let go of him. "Good, now will you please help me with flipping over the car?" Her voice returned to normal. Shinji sighed and started pushing the car over with the help of Misato. They both got inside and Misato tried to start the engine back up. It didn't work.

"Damnit, why did it have to break now?" Completely ignoring the fact that it took a nuclear blast to the chin, Misato got out of the car and started kicking the front bumper. The car miraculously started back up. Shinji meanwhile was just seating inside the vehicle, not participating in any of the madness that was a pissed off Misato. She swiftly got inside once again, her childish attitude returning.

"Right," She said as she pressed the pedal. "Now we need to get going."

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

The old man put down the phone and folded his hands on top his desk. "As of now all command for the operation has been given to you, Ikari." The general shot at the unmoving figure. He didn't like to give that kind of authority to such an unreliable source

The glass wearing man nodded in understanding. "I understand," He fixed his glasses to his face. "And I assure you that NERV will not disappoint."

The man sighed. "Let's hope to God that you're right." The man, along with the other JSSDF members, disappeared in a brief flash of light.

"May I ask how will we do that with no pilot?" Fuyutsuki said from behind the commander. "There is no need to worry about that, a spare one is being delivered as we speak." The man turned around and headed for the exit. "Vice Commander, you handle the situation here. I'll go welcome our new specimen." The older man nodded and watched as his former student went for the door.

"This will be their first meeting in three years."

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

Misato put her hands behind her head as she leaned back on her chair. Shinji quietly stared at her. He had never imagined he would see her again… after… after. He quickly averted his gaze; there was no need to awaken such memories. The lavender haired girl sighed as the car went down the conveyer belt leading to the Geofront. The automated machinery's silent creak the only thing that was heard though the silence.

"Say, Shinji don't you have any questions, you know giant green monster destroying the city and all that?" Shinji stopped looking out the window and raised an eyebrow. "Would you tell me?" Misato chuckled. "Of course I would, why would I pick you up and bring you here if I wouldn't?" Shinji only shrugged. "Well I only came here because my father said so; I wouldn't want anyone explaining it other than him." Misato had a witty retort ready to leave her lips but the boy's stern look told otherwise. There was another long pause. She seemed to be very prone to those lately.

"…So you don't get along with your father along, as well…" Shinji had taken the time to prepare himself for that statement, but it still hit him like wall of bricks. But he still retained his calm façade. He still didn't crack. He would be strong. For her, for them, for everyone…

Misato extended her arm and gave him an envelope with the all too familiar NERV logo on it and 'Top Secret' right underneath.

"Here, read this." She said with a smile. Shinji eyed the thing confused, or at least conveying confusion. "What is this?" He said opening the folder. Misato raised an eyebrow. "So you don't have any idea what your dad does?" Shinji shook his head dismissively. She sighed. "Well, you'll find out in due time." She said openly irritated

"Do you still have the card that you were given?" Shinji snapped his fingers and reached for his pocket bringing out a folded piece of paper. Misato opened it and was pleased to find a map of the facility printed onto it. "Perfect."

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

Rei Ayanami was looking at the ceiling deep in thought, which was more than common for her. Her bandaged up body was sprayed on the bed unmoving as her chest bobbed up and forth in tune with her breath. She was still in her plug-suit, Commander Ikari requested so. Putting A and B together she figured she might be needed in later operations.

Her bed rocked once again as the Angel roared though the city. She moved her hand up to her face as if sensing that Gendo was due to walk through the door. The door burst opened letting the man himself walk in. He took a seat next to her bed and looked at her for a few seconds. "Rei I may have to inconvenience you for a bit…" She took off her breathing mask and looked at him, but didn't dare to speak back. She knew his judgment was indefinable. Nurses came and took her away with all of the equipment like they expected this to happen.

Rei watched as her bed was sped through the hallways. She still didn't speak, she still didn't say anything. Was this all that she was; a silent observer? Those thoughts can wait; she still had to do the commander's beading. Because she knew that if she didn't she would be replaced.

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

"Was this the correct route? I don't remember." Misato said as she stole a look at the illustration of the facility in front of her.

'For God's sake woman, it's to the left, the fucking left' Shinji thought just about ready to explode from frustration. Even he remembered the damn place and he wasn't supposed to even know about it. He sighed. This was not going anywhere fast. In a way that was a good thing, although it would only be prolonging the inevitable, a little extra time to think what to do when he meets his father again, was more than good to mentally prepa-

"Captain Katsuragi…" Dr Akagi said as she stepped into the elevator with them.

'Well so much for that thought' Shinji said to his subconscious.

"You were supposed to be in the EVA cages twenty minutes ago." She said with a frown. "Sorry." Misato said as she waved her hand in front of her face. "So this is the Third Child." The doctor turned and looked at Shinji. "Yep, that sure is him." Misato mimicked her friend's movements. "Hmm, he looks a lot more normal than the other two, don't you think." Misato motioned to her with her hands and introduced her to Shinji. "Shinji, this is Dr Ritsuko Akagi head scientist of Project-E and NERV." Shinji took in her appearance, he looked at lab coat she had on top of her form. "Is that a swimsuit underneath that coat?" Ritsuko quickly covered her exposed attire using the lab coat; a faint flush decorated her face as she did so.

The elevator came to a stop. This was it. This moment that he had prepared himself for this whole time. "Follow me." Said the irritated doctor as she took off into the devoid of the unlit room followed closely by Shinji and Misato. "What is this? Where are we?" Shinji said, giving the best impression of his former self he could muster. Suddenly the lights turned on, revealing the previously invisible purple giant. Shinji's eyes genuinely widened at the sight of the monster.

"That is EVA Unit-01" The young boy heard a voice from beyond the Unit's sizeable frame. There stood his father inside an overlooking catwalk. "And you are its pilot." The young boy scoffed at that. It had been so long since he heard those words that he had forgotten the exact wording. But that cold voice still rang in his ears even during Third Impact.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought. This was not the old Shinji; this Shinji wouldn't go down that easily. "How about, no." The silence that followed his words was more than tense. The two of them seemed to be locked in a never ending staring contest, as no one seemed to even blink. Misato decided to break the silence. "Shinji please listen…" Big mistake. "Why should I even do it? Why should I risk myself for you? I don't know who you are, at this point. You never made contact with me in the past three years and you expect me to conveniently get inside a huge robot, which I have never even seen before, in order for me to act as your little fucking helper? What do you think my answer will be?" Shinji was sweating. Where did that come from? He was just a few seconds earlier thinking about how much he would fail at this like last time. But when he started talking it was as if the words were flowing out of his mouth. Like years of held back anger finally being let out.

Gendo was secretly satisfied with this development, if not a bit surprised. He knew Shinji's personality could only go two ways after the events of three years ago. But that wasn't a big deal at all; he just had to see how far he had to bend him before he would break. And that made it a lot more fun. "I see. Then you are useless to me." He said as he pressed a button on a nearby console. One of the numerous screens on the far wall changed showing a picture of the vice-commander looking up towards the camera. "Fuyutsuki bring her in." He said while he still looked down at his son. "But sir she is still not healed en-" But the old man was cut off by his former student. "She is not dead yet." The man sighed. "Yes, sir."

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

Rei was being dragged though the corridor connecting the Eva cages with the medical ward. Each time the bed went over a bump she could feel a shard pain go though her body like electric shock waves. She didn't talk. Her words would be irrelevant in the situation. Even the doctors were slightly unnerved by how stoic and lifeless she seemed to be. They were rushing, more than a professional should. They entered the large chamber containing the Eva Unit. There were a few familiar faces inside like Captain Katsuragi and Dr Akagi. But there was one young boy who caught her attention, and not because he had anything particularly interesting in his physical appearance, but rather the fact that he seemed so strangely familiar, yet she knew she had never seen him before. It was almost as if he was forced into her memories, like something you can't put your finger on and can never remember completely.

Shinji looks as the medics leave her limp body exposed to the air. She barely had enough energy to move. How she managed to lift herself up on the bed in a seated position was beyond him. She struggled with getting up, but that was interrupted by the roaring earthquake that was caused by the Angel. The young woman was thrown to the ground by the large shock wave. Shinji almost out of instinct ran up to her and grabbed her frail form. She was twitching from the pain, she seemed so weak and innocent that he could swear that he could break her in half if he even touched her wounded body.

Shinji lifted her still shaking frame and gently placed her on the bed. He very carefully caressed her hair as he closed his eyes. 'Fool once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Misato came up to him slightly speechless that the commander was willing to go so far as to black mail his own son into piloting. "Can't you see Shinji that she will pilot if you don't." She hated to participate in this but there was no other choice in the matter. Shinji sighed heavily and looked at her. Her glare seemed stern and commanding, yet there was something he didn't get the first time around. In the moment when their eyes met he could see the guilt in her eyes.

"I'll do it." He said as he turned to his father. The man smiled as he mused his victory to himself.

'Perfect.'

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

"All systems nominal. Crossing the absolute borderline in T-20 seconds." Maya said as she furiously typed away at her console.

"Absolute borderline cleared. Synch rate is stable in 55 percent." Ritsuko nearly choked on her breath as the words of Makoto Hyuga dawned at her. "55 percent?! With no prior training or a plug suit, that is actually extraordinary." Misato smiled as she stared at Shinji though the screen. "We may actually have a chance to do this."

Shinji on the hand was more distressed. He already knew he had to pilot the Eva at some point, at least if he wanted to change the fate of the world, so that was not that much of a bother, but how would he go about fighting the Angel. He knew that a little girl named Sakura Suzuhara was going to be in the vicinity of this fight, but the trouble is how to defeat the Angel without injuring her. He didn't have much time to think however since the voice of Shigeru Aoba. "Flooding entry plug with LCL." Shinji watched as the metal cube was dyed a soft orange as the LCL took over the entirety of the plug. He tried to play his part of the scared little boy even though the foul tasting fluid was more than familiar to him. "Shinji don't be afraid, once the LCL reaches your lungs your blood will be oxygenized directly." Shinji breathed the liquid allowing the metal taste to fill his mouth. He winched at the memories that accompanied the LCL, but he pushed them away for now.

"Get ready for launch in… 3… 2…1" Makoto said again as he typed a few commands in. "Evan Unit-01 launch!" He heard Misato say as the G-forces around him rose and the Evangelion was shot the narrow tunnel that acted as an entrance to the outside world.

Unit-01 reached the Angel's location in an astonishing ten seconds. Shinji took a deep breath, braising himself for the battle. "Shinji," He heard Misato say from the command room. "Take it easy. First things first, learn at least how to walk in the beginning."

Shinji pretended to hesitantly put a foot in front of the other, until the Angel lounged at him at full speed. Shinji caught the Angel's speeding body and threw it as far as could away from the city centre, where the battle had been taking place and ran to the location that the Angel landed; quite a few miles away from Sakura's whereabouts. _'Good.'_ He thought. _'Now I can move without the fear of_ _hurting Toji's sister.'_ The Angel got up to his feet and looked at Shinji with glowing eyes. If the creature had any facial features Shinji was sure that they would be pissed off. The green monster raised its arm and fired its purple spear like weapon. Shinji immediately got out of the way and made a B-line for the creature, giving it a good elbow to the face. The Angel barely flinched as its eyes glowed brighter and a large explosion was heard though the city which threw Unit-01 back by a few kilometers. The Angel lifted its arms up and launched the purple blasts to the Unit's location hitting it squarely on the umbilical cable. Shinji scoffed at that. He had to be quick. The giant's hand reached for the progressive knife case and grabbed the handle. The blade hissed to life and Shinji holstered it up to the Angel's height. The primitive life form stared confused at the happenings in front of it. Shinji smiled a wicked smile that had never before plagued his face; almost sinister in nature. Like he enjoyed toying with the Angel.

The behemoth that was Shinji's combatant roared a mighty battle cry and proceeded to charge at Shinji tackling him to the ground. The knife found its way to the core though and with a cry of pain the Angel got up from atop of Shinji. _'Shit the damn thing's stuck in there.'_ He thought as he watched the Angel pull away from its previous position with the blade still hanging from its core.

The young boy finally had enough. He willed the Eva into a slow ominous walk. The opposing beast however kept still and moved its body into all fours. It was becoming obvious that the Angel didn't have much chance of winning. Shinji noticed the same stance as last time and grinned. He was prepared for that this time. He erected his A-T field like it was second nature to him. The Angel made its last attempt at an attack and with a jump the creature was upon the Eva's A-T field leaving it completely exposed. Shinji took the chance and attacked the beast.

"This is it you fucker, this is how you die." He ran straight to the Angel and made a kick for the progressive knife, which was still stuck inside the core, using it as a battering ram. The core split in two after the hundred ton foot came into contact with the knife. He somewhat expecting there to be more after the foe became limp and fell onto the ground, but that was not to come true as the Angel dissolved into a reddish colored liquid.

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

Rei Ayanami watched as the new pilot defeated the 4th Angel. Who was he? I mean she knew he was the commander's son, but how could he be so natural at piloting the Eva? Why did he pilot? Did he do it for her or for his father? Why did he seem to be so familiar yet so disconnected with any of her other memories?

These unanswered riddled in her mind, but one thing that was certain was that she owed him a favor. If he hadn't piloted Unit-01 she would likely be dead by now. She sighed as she watched the purple behemoth rest on its knees. She didn't even know how to pay him back for what he did.

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

The bridge exploded in cheer as the several technicians started hugging and kissing each other. Maya expressed her content with a loud yelp that could be heard across the room, while Makoto and Aoba sighed in relief, happy to live another day. Misato was joining the festivities as well grabbing a bear from her secret container underneath Makoto's desk.

Ritsuko however was seated on her chair, smoking a cigarette and pushing some buttons on her laptop. She gasped as she looked at the battle data. She went over to the commander and whispered something to him which was inaudible to the rest of the crowd. Gendo nodded in approval and returned his gaze to the quiet Evangelion whose batteries had already depleted. The retrieval was already underway and a smiling Shinji climbed out of the entry plug greeting the carrier that had just arrived at his location. His lip curving up into an unnoticeable, behind his hands smile. _'Oh yeah this will be interesting.'_

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

 **A/N:** So yeah a new story. I decided to take a crack at the whole "Evangelion Do Over" kind of thing that seems to be all the rage. I tried to keep the characters within cannon though I'm not sure how good of a job I did in that front.

How will this story play out, well I'm thinking of having original series Shinji get thrust into the Rebuilt universe and hilarity ensues (Everyone dies)

Another thing to note is that I'm writing this while I'm watching the Rebuilds for the first time, so apologies if they are not that well thought out.

Thanks for taking the time off your life to read my atrocities and Goodbye.


	2. Second on the track list

Disclaimer: I in fact do not own Evangelion and all of its spin-offs.

 **A/N: Apologies this chapter is this awfully late.**

 **FIRST IT GIVETH**

 **Chapter 2: Second on the track list.**

Misato was currently riding a VTOL though the destroyed streets of Tokyo-03. She kept her left hand tightly clenched around her father's cross and the other on her NERV lunch tray. Her eyes were firmly situated at the blood red sea, caused by the disintegration of the fourth Angel. The young Captain's mind drifted to Second Impact but she quickly avoided the painful memories and focused at Ritsuko.

"The Angel's disintegration has caused a lot more destruction than anticipated. Operations are already being conducted in order to move this large amount of LCL to the sea." She grabbed a cigarette from her pack and lit it with a match completely ignoring the obvious 'No smoking' sign right behind her. She took a drag and exhaled the nicotine filled smoke from her lungs.

Maya looked out of the window with wide eyes. "It kind of reminds me of the Antarctic Sea after the Second Impact." Ritsuko eyed her student sternly with a glare that closed her mouth. Realizing what she said she sank back into her seat and continued typing onto her laptop.

"I'm sorry." She directed her words to the frowning officer opposite of her. Said officer bit her lip and held back tears long forgotten.

She smiled at Maya. "It's okay. The fact that we are still here is a testament that humanity can fight back against the Angels." Maya nodded her head and turned her attention to the faux blonde seated beside her.

"Speaking of which, did you know that Shinji requested a meeting with his Father?" Misato eyes focused at her college friend, wide as they were.

"Really," She started recollecting the other day's events. "Who'd think that the Third Child would make such a bold move against his father of all people?"

Ritsuko finished her cigarette and grabbed her coffee cup, which read NERV in a bright red color.

"If I were him I'd back away. I've worked with Commander Ikari for a while now and if there's one thing you learn about him is that he doesn't like to be opposed" She took a sip of the bitter liquid which resided itself inside her cup.

Misato closed her eyes and sighed.

"He is just so different than the reports suggested. It's almost like he became a different person." She said as she rubbed temples.

Ritsuko ashed the butt of her cigarette. "Well abandonment issues come in many forms you know; it might just be a way for him to cope with things."

Maya finally spoke up. "I think that what Shinji is doing, is completely justified. I mean think about it, you get called by your father who you haven't seen in three years only to find out you are just an asset to him."

Misato resumed looking out the window, thinking about the Third Child.

"I just hope that he knows what he's doing."

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

The commander of NERV. Commander Ikari. Gendo Ikari.

Those were words that struck fear into the hearts of men and beasts alike. His cold demeanor and piercing gaze made almost every opponent cower in fear before they could even face him. His rank in the organization gave him more power than any other country on earth individually. And his talent to handle a situation without any pesky emotions clouding his judgment made him a valuable asset, even to those with more political influence than him.

So why was this _brat_ standing in front of him without showing any emotion other than confidence. It puzzled him to no end.

' _Relax, Gendo. This is only a small hindrance to the plan. There is still time for me to break him.'_ Ikari said to himself as he sat quietly at the semi lit room that served as his office, a soft shade of red keeping it as dark as possible without compromising its usefulness. Shinji stood a few paces away from his seated father on what should be his chopping block. The vivid portrait of the "Tree of Life" was placed on the ground, serving as a way of intimidation. The unfaltering figure of the young pilot kept its eyes level with the commander's.

"Pilot of Unit-01, what is it that you wanted to see me for?" The boy frowned at his father's use of his rank in favor of his name.

"I came here to discuss the possibility of putting me and the other pilots on the payroll." If Gendo was surprised or offended by that statement, he didn't show it.

Shinji crossed his hands in front of his chest. "Furthermore, I want all legal rights as a guardian to be transferred to Misato Katsuragi." Once again NERV's iron leader retained his usual attitude.

"And tell me, Third Child, why would I conform to your requests?" Gendo replied to his son as he moved his gloved hands away from his face.

Shinji smiled. He could tell that he had taken him out of his comfort zone. "Well, risking our lives in order to save humanity calls for a fair day's pay for a day's work, don't you think _Commander?_ " He said with great emphasis on the last word.

The Commander narrowed his eyes. "Your demands will be taken into consideration. You are dismissed."

The boy didn't move though. "I don't want them to just be taken into consideration. I want them to happen, if you want me to continue piloting for you that is."

Gendo Ikari snorted. This was not just a request; it was an act of rebellion against his authority, a direct attack to his position. He grinded his teeth together and pressed a button to connect him with the Sub-Commander. "Fuyutsuki, please provide the pilots with a monthly payment equal to that of every other employee of NERV." He turned his head slightly to see his son with his head held high, his lip confidently curved upwards as it was. "And take care of the transfer of all the legal rights of the Third Child to Cpt. Misato Katsuragi." He pulled his index finger away from the button, thus ending the communication with his college.

The young boy chuckled quietly as he turned on his heel and started heading for the door. "Wait a minute Third Child, who told you to leave?" The Commander said swiftly. "Since you are on the payroll you now answer to no one but me, which means your disobedience of my orders will have the resulting consequences."

The boy did not turn to answer but instead kept his eyes locked at the door in front of him. "I understand sir. Now if you may excuse me." He opened the door and closed it behind him as he let out a breath he had seemingly been holding forever.

He took a seat at the chairs that served as a waiting room for any potential visitors of the commander and gripped his chest. His heart was pounding. His head was spinning. And boy did he feel good.

The secretary was quietly filing some paperwork only providing Shinji with a quick curious glance of her green eyes.

He quickly got up from the chair and rushed to get to the main bridge.

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

In the control room where the three main bridge bunnies lay dormant in their posts, the door burst open causing all of the eyes inside to bolt to a certain Ikari.

The boy looked around and spotted Makoto Hyuga.

"Hey, Makoto you have a motorcycle don't you?" The technician looked at the young boy with a raised eyebrow and took a small sip of his coffee.

"Yeah I do what about it?" The boy smiled a suspicious smile and quickly run up to him.

"I was wondering if you could drop me off somewhere." The glasses wearing man was more than a little bit confused as to where someone who had just moved to Tokyo-03 would want to go.

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

"Thanks a lot." Shinji said as he got off his peer's Vespa. He took off the white colored helmet and passed it at Makoto who put it on his head.

"No problem, but what did you want to do here? It's not exactly a shopping district." Shinji looked at the overhang which loomed over the city of Tokyo-03. The sunset complimented beautifully with the city's grey tone.

Shinji took a few steps away from the rider of the motorcycle and gazed at the endless horizon.

"Nothing, too important. Just tying up some loose ends." His voice was more distant than usual Makoto failed to notice.

The mechanical sound of the engine kick starting to life filled the air. Shinji looked over his shoulder to see a smiling Makoto making a mocking salute at him.

"Well I'll be seeing you around." He said as he took off leaving the pilot of Unit-01 on his lonesome.

He gripped the ancient SDAT player residing inside of his pocket. The old plastic felt weak against his fingers. Worn out with passage of time… just like him. He took it out, put on the earphones and pressed the second track of the cassette tape.

"The Ode to Joy…" He murmured to himself as his head was filled with the soft notes of Beethoven's ninth symphony. There was a feeling he hadn't felt in a while.

Nostalgia.

Probably because he had nothing worth feeling nostalgic for. But now, for the first time in his life he felt in control. In control of himself, in control of the situation, in control of his future.

But there was one thing that held him back. One measly little detail that he couldn't overlook. He pressed the pause button and squeezed even harder at the SDAT.

He took a deep breath, pulled back his body and threw the cassette player from the overhang; as far as he possibly could. He heard a faint clang sound as his trustworthy companion, of sorts, kissed the hard ground.

He wore an unreadable expression as he closed his eyes. For a second he took in the silence; his previous actions washing over him.

"Why did you do it…?" A familiar feminine voice sounded, but not one he was particularly happy to hear. He didn't bother to turn around, there was no need to.

"I had to. To convince myself that the old Shinji is dead." This time he turned his head. "But you would know, wouldn't you Rei." His eyes met with the blood red ones of Ayanami. "Or, should I say Lilith."

The greenish colored school girl outfit of the Angel swayed in the warm breeze. The pale white skin not dissimilar to the actual Rei Ayanami. The creature smiled a toothy grin, revealing its pointy fangs. "I'm surprised that you recognized me."

The young pilot sighed heavily. "What do you want? I am kind of busy right now."

The Angel wearing a human's skin took only a step closer. "You mean I don't have the right to visit one of my most priced children?" Lilith, the all mother, said as her hair danced with the wind.

Suddenly Shinji's cell phone went off driving their attention onto it. He took it out of his pocket and answered the call. He was immediately bombarded by the voice of Misato Katsuragi.

"Shinji, tell me, why did you make the commander transfer your legal rights to me? Do I look like a person who can support a child? Why didn't you at least ask me first? Christ, I can barely manage with penguin and myself, but now I have to take care of 14 year old kid as well?" An audible breath came from the other line as the Captain regained her composition. Well… somewhat.

"And if you think I'm gonna let you get away with this, you're dead wrong mister. Not only will you help inside the house but you'll be paying your cut of the rent, you got that?" He was surprised she had been able to keep going for that long.

"So, umm…" Shinji started hesitantly in order not to provoke the sleeping beast once again. "Misato, could you come pick me up." He continued.

The phone closed.

"Damnit," Shinji muttered under his breath and placed his cell back inside his pocket. "That did not go as planned."

Suddenly he felt slender hands move around his waist, they joined together and brought him a tight hug. The young boy was only slightly surprised at this turn of events. Lilith on the other hand rested her cheek on Shinji back, her chest lightly touching him. She breathed in and out melodically.

"You know that this is a lost cause, right?" She said as she got too close for comfort to his ear. "This world you're trying to save is a flawed one, different than the one you came from." Shinji didn't say anything. "And when you fail I'll be there watching you."

She licked his ear lobe sending shivers down his spine. He quickly tried to pushed her away but she held on with surprising strength.

"Shinji, you here?" He heard Misato yelled followed by the sound of the car door closing. He whipped his head around to only find empty space where the blue haired girl should have been.

' _What the hell was that about?'_ He thought as he went up to his newly pronounced guardian.

"Hey Misato." He started as she took a few steps towards him. "How did you know where to find me?" He asked the displeased Captain.

"Your phone is always being tracked by Section-02 in case of an emergency." She stated as she escorted the teen back to her blue Renault. "It wasn't that hard to figure out where you were."

Shinji scoffed. "So in between giant robots and blackmailing, NERV also likes stalking." The both of them got inside the car. Misato started the engine up and looked at the pilot.

"Shinji, I don't want you to think that this is done for no reason. We are doing this for the betterment of mankind. For your future." Shinji frowned and looked outside the window as Misato put the car into gear and pressed the pedal.

He still couldn't believe the Captain's ignorance at this point.

"Sure you are."

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

The rest of the ride to Misato's apartment was silent with Misato desperately trying to find a way to break the ice.

Now as the two of them were climbing the stairs of the building she could feel his eyes burning into the back of her skull.

Judging her.

As if it was her fault. She had to find a way to make this right. To make him like her, trust her. Maybe it was just her conscience talking but she felt compelled to let him stay at her home. More than she would like to admit.

"Alright, it seems that they already moved your stuff here." She laid her eyes on the boxes rested against the wall.

She opened her apartment door letting the odor of beer and instant food hit both of their nostrils.

The woman stepped inside the kitchen and left her key on the counter. Shinji took off his shoes and looked around as Misato took off to her bedroom.

"Sorry if this seems a little messy. I'm just settling here, myself." The boy feasted his eyes upon the large amount of garbage, empty beer cans and other assortment of items scattered around.

"Did a hurricane pass though here or something?" He asked with a grin. He wouldn't tell her anything, but he was more than happy to see this once again.

The random placement of used tissues and Yebisu bottles might as well have been modern art to him.

"Did I hear you say something?" Misato peaked her head from the doorframe and looked at Shinji.

"No, Madam." He quickly retaliated while he opened the fridge. He struggled to find a spot to fit the newly acquired groceries as the fridge was already filled with beer and Doritos. ( **Hideki Anno:** Can we have our money now…?)

Misato finished putting on her pajamas consisting of yellow tank-top and blue shorts.

The scantily clad woman came out and took a step closer to Shinji. "Alrighty, now it's time for the party to commence."

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

Apparently what Misato meant by "party" was chugging down beer by the gallon. But, who was he kidding, he already knew her definition.

"Oh, yeah that hit the spot." She said as she downed half of the beer can. "I'm telling you, it's moments like this that make it all worth it in the end."

Shinji, who was sitting opposite of her with his head rested on his elbow, watched as his roommate let the bitter liquid drift down her throat once more.

She looked at him already feeling the after affects of the alcohol. "Hey, aren't you going to drink?" She said as she offered him an unopened can.

"No thanks." Shinji put up his in disproval. "I would rather not drink myself to death."

She eyed him and gulped another mouthful of beer. "Are you suggesting that, I drink too much?" She put the can back down with a lot more force than needed. Shinji unintentionally recoiled backwards, as Misato almost climbed on top of the table and towered over him.

He had to force his eyes not to look down at her exposed cleavage. "Well, are you?"

He knew that there was no real intention of physical harm behind all her words but he still retaliated with nothing but a measly "No." letting a little of that old Shinji out of his shell.

Misato smiled at him. "Good." She took a seat and started drinking away once again.

"You know what you need, is a nice hot bath." The lavender haired woman said as she crushed her can under her fingers and threw it at the pile. "You just have to wash those worries down the drain."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah…" He rested his head onto his fist "Sure."

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

The nothingness that surrounded him was broken by the laptop screen of Dr Akagi. Her newly lit cigarette shone upon her face, revealing the bags under her eyes.

Gendo Ikari stood in front of the destroyed window overlooking the unmoving Unit-00.

The blonde scientist typed for a few seconds, then took a drag of cancer filled smoke and looked at the tall figure before her.

"Unit's-00 repair status is still unprecedented, but the repairs have been advancing at moderate speeds."

Gendo turned and looked at her. "Excellent."

None of them spoke for a bit. Ritsuko exhaled the smoke from her lungs and dropped her cigarette on the ground, crushing the butt of it with her foot.

"So, how did the meeting with your son go?"

Gendo turned at her and started unbuttoning his jacket.

"No reason to have that information shared with you, _Dr Akagi_ " He said in almost mocking tone. Like he implied she would never be worth as much as _she_ was.

She hated him, so why did she find herself underneath his body all the more often.

He started moving to her, as she dropped her lab coat.

Doesn't matter right now; all that did was right in front of her.

And she hated that fact.

 **H=H=H=H=H=H**

 **A/N: So this chapter was… something. Um, I don't know why it came out this weak. I had no mental juice while writing this one (The Red Bull had run out.). It may be better than I give it credit for, but I'm just not as happy as I could have been with this one.**

 **Also, obligatory super late mini-review of Evangelion 1.0: It was good, but it lacked character development. Not to mention the fact that it is basically the original series until the end, I like the original so that's not that big of a problem, but still…**

 **Thanks for taking the time off your life to read my atrocities and Goodbye.**


	3. Life Update (Just Read It)

Things have not been going my way for a while now.

My trustworthy laptop betrayed my trust making me lose about a month's worth of work, my apartment has been devoid of any furniture ever since my move to England, I can't hold a job at McDonald's and recently my year long record of not getting into any fights was broken... along with my nose.

So yeah, don't know who cares about this story anymore seeing as how I have updated it in a while, but know that new stuff is coming... Just not right now.

Most of you probably hate "chapters" that are just updates, and, believe me, if it was in my power I wouldn't be doing this, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Anyways, special mention to a friend of mine who let me use their computer for this. You rock buddy!

That's it... I'm gonna go cry in the corner if you don't mind.


End file.
